Tracing the ebb and flow of friendship

If you think you’ve read the story of four friends trying to make it in New York City already, think again. Hanya Yanagihara’s transcendent second novel is much more than its plot summary suggests. A Little Life may be the best book you read this year; it certainly will be the most heartbreaking.

Charting a new course in Mischief Bay

Susan Mallery is a sparkling conversationalist: She’s funny, smart and easy to talk to about all manner of topics, from her writing career to dog breeds to her favorite eyeshadow brand (it’s Laura Geller).

Reading her way to romance

Love by the Book is a hilarious romp of a read that finds expat Lauren desperate enough to turn to the self-help shelf once her ne'er do well UK boyfriend dumps her. We asked Pimentel a few questions about fact vs. fiction, the bright side of a bad date and more.

It's a pirate's life for this young heroine

It’s striking, once you notice it, how important books and reading are in the work of Daniel Handler. Handler is probably best known as the inventor/alter-ego of Lemony Snicket, author of the sensational children’s book series A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Both sides of the American dream

Amanda Eyre Ward had already finished writing The Same Sky, her moving novel about an 11-year-old Honduran girl attempting to reunite with her mother in the U.S., when the controversy about undocumented minors blew up along the border last summer.

Memorable debut blends magic and myth

Lawyer-turned-author Krassi Zourkova mines the traditions of her Bulgarian childhood in a magical debut, Wildalone. When Thea leaves Bulgaria to study at Princeton, her life becomes entwined with those of two sexy brothers as she works to uncover a long-hidden familiy secret. We asked Zourkova a few questions about love triangles, the literature that inspires her and the appeal of the alpha male.

Facing the paradox of success

Dutch writer Peter Buwalda is keenly attuned to the ironies of being a successful novelist. “A successful writer is living a paradox,” Buwalda says from to his home in Amsterdam, where he moved after his gripping literary debut, Bonita Avenue, became a bestseller in Holland in 2010.

History is written in blood

Without question, Tolkien set the standard for worldbuilding. Readers of epic fantasy aren’t content with a few generations of kings mentioned in some measly footnotes; they want a world so vast and detailed that it could be real. With Tolkien’s template in mind, George R.R. Martin addresses fans’ demands for a truly epic history.